I recently signed up to a beginner class of a skill (a style of dance) I used to be obsessed with ten years ago. I now well and truly belong into a beginner’s class. I don’t have the muscle control/memory and my skills are very fragmented because back then I ended up mostly training the impressive looking bits and not the bits that make it all come together. Trouble is, I can execute some of the more complex movements with apparent ease, a lot of the things click super fast because I’ve done them before and I have a degree of theoretical knowledge which sometimes makes me ask pretty specific questions because I get confused (eg. there are two distinct movements that look similar and the instructor seems to be doing them interchangeably and I’m not sure which one it’s supposed to be). I also started doing daily hour long sessions practising what we’ve done in the (weekly) class and it’s deepening the problem.
I really like the group we’ve got going on and I’d hate to alienate them, but I don’t know how to navigate the situation properly. I would also like to talk about how I experience things as opposed to just listening. I don’t want to be a know-it all, but sometimes I feel like I could give my classmates tips that helped me when they say they’re struggling with something, and I don’t know how to do it without making them feel bad or putting the spotlight on myself. I receive a lot of compliments and it makes me feel pretty awkward because they’re ultimately undeserved. Worse yet, I can’t return them because I am deeply focused on the instructor, my body and my own reflection. I don’t have the first idea what other people are doing.
There seems to be interest in being friends outside of classes. Umm… help?